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Keeping the OS/2 Flame Alive

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the burn-baby-burn dept.

nanday writes "Ever wondered what happened to OS/2? With IBM officially abandoning the operating system last year, users are relying on a third party version of OS/2 -- and, increasingly, using free and open source software to keep it alive." From the article: "According to Haverblad, the main reason that users stay with OS/2 is for 'features that Windows and Linux don't have yet.' He singles out the REstructured eXtended eXecutor (REXX), an interpreted programming language known for its ease of use, a 'rock solid kernel,' 'excellent multitasking,' and low system requirements. Haverblad also claims a lack of viruses and spyware and, referencing a report on OS/2 Warp Server by Secunia, fewer security vulnerabilities." Newsforge is also an OSTG site.

4 of 316 comments (clear)

  1. Re:REXX was also available for Amiga...and others. by iamacat · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Not to mention that Mac users had AppleScript before, during and after OS/2. Nothing to see here, move along!

  2. Re:A worthy attempt but... by DingerX · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Yeah, that reminds me. Last summer I had to buy a ticket at an Italian railway station. I could have used the robodispensers, but this required a little fancy maneuvering the automated machines didn't have. So I wait in line, give my request. The guy gets halfway through entering it, and the system crashes hard. He waits two minutes, hits reset and sure enough, the OS/2 Warp logo graces the screen. He ends up issuing me a ticket identical to what the robodispensers were giving, i.e., not solving the specific issue I wanted solved.

    Now, Italian trains are, relative to the rest of europe, cheap, but I wonder if ditching OS/2 wouldn't improve stability and flexibility.

  3. Obligatory Mac Bash by Comboman · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    The ONLY reason OS/2 /appears/ to be secure is because it isn't worth any one's time trying to crack it.

    ...just like Mac OS.

    --
    Support Right To Repair Legislation.
  4. Re:Claiming lack of virii due to quality of OS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    then enter their password for anything to even happen.

    BULLSHIT. Complete and utter unmitigated BULLSHIT. Why do you retard fucking mac users constantly parrot this inane rubbish that's just copied from the last random shithead posting in a forum when it has NOTHING TO DO WITH REALITY.

    Go get a copy of latestpics.tgz

    run it

    Watch it do all it needs to do, WITHOUT ENTERING A PASSWORD. If you're a standard OS X user who uses the standard account created at system install time, you'll be admin user and latestpics.tgz can do everything it needs without needing to be asked for a password.

    If you're not an admin user, you're safer and it'll probably fail on all the apps it tries to modify, but NOWHERE DOES IT ASK YOU TO ENTER A PASSWORD.

    You're all so used to seeing some installers ask for passwords that it somehow makes you think ALL applications must ask for a password, conveniently forgetting that most mac users have access to modify the /Applications folder and can drop files into it, trash them out of it and modify them freely WITHOUT BEING ASKED FOR A PASSWORD.

    I swear the next time I see this parroted bullshit I'll find a way to reach through the monitor and punch the poster.